Many types of vehicles and automobiles use pressurized rubber tires. Air pressure, as well as temperature, within tires used on vehicles can impact performance and safety. As such, a need exists for systems and methods for monitoring the pressure, and in some instances temperature, of tires on vehicles.
It is known to equip automobile tires with mechanisms to indicate tire pressure. Tire pressure monitoring (TPM) systems are known in the art, and can include tire pressure sensors that communicate the tire pressure information to a vehicle operator via tuned circuits and radio transmitters. The tire pressure sensors of TPM systems are typically mounted as a component of the tire air valve stem and transmit pressure readings at predetermined time intervals using radio frequency, directly to a centralized tire pressure monitoring receiver.
The automotive industry is focusing on reducing the number of part numbers used for vehicle assembly. The industry is also attempting to reduce labor in plants and cost from suppliers for purchased assemblies. TPM sensors are rapidly becoming a commodity, and OEMs are attempting to use one part for multiple platform applications with simplified assembly while maintaining current assembly processes. The challenge for the TPM transducer is adapting a single TPM transducer such that it is suitable for use with a wide range of existing valve stems.
Thus, there is a need for a universal adapter that enables the use of a plurality of valve stem designs and configurations with existing TPM sensors.